Wandering Warriors
by Demo ODST
Summary: Seven years since the Lylat wars. And seven years for Star Fox without solid pay. When General Pepper calls with a new mission, Fox and company cant resist, even if that mission means letting a human tag along. meanwhile, the UNSC, three years after the H/C war, sends it's most advanced and versatile stealth ships to investigate a strange Slipspace signal in the Lylat system.
1. Prologue

_so, i have had this idea for a while, just never written on it till now, and yes, there are characters from Halo: Forgotten Heroes, with a modified story. since HFH aint done yet, some of those modifactions will not be evident. anyway, enjoy and review!_

* * *

Prologue

 _Low Orbit, Macbeth, Lylat System_

Fox leaned back in his command chair, grinning and tapping his foot to the guitar solo that was blaring through the command bridge of the Great Fox. The bridge was covered in dozens of empty pizza boxes as well as tools, broken electronics, and fresh parts that were grossly inadequate for decaying vessel. It had been four years since their last decent paying mission, and seven since the last major conflict in the Lylat system. And although there were small conflicts occurring throughout human space, the U.N.S.C. didn't hire mercenaries. Thus leaving the famed Star Fox team to fall into decay. Falco had left the team after their last real job, and both Peppy and Slippy had retired from flight duty, Slippy focusing on keeping the ship flying while Peppy had taken to advising and controlling the Great Fox.

"Doesn't this music get on your nerves!" Fox opened his eyes, looking down at where Peppy was sitting as the aging rabbit shouted across the bridge. His grey fur was starting to have silver streaks in it, his relatively plump body another sign of his age. His adjusted his reading glasses as he spun his chair to face Fox.

"Nah, never. But I'll turn it down for ya." He slid his small screen off the arm of his chair, and was just opening the intercom system when the screen shorted. "Damn it, Slippy, can you get it, my screen shorted again." Slippy just groaned, sliding out from under one of the bridge consoles when the music suddenly stopped on its own, a beeping echoing through the bridge. "Slippy, it's General Pepper!" all three of them perked up as Slippy smacked the answer button. The holo-projector on the ceiling popped a few times before it turned on, a full size image of General Pepper, his brown fur, deep crimson uniform, and saggy skin making the canine unmistakable.

"Fox, I have an urgent mission for you! We have detected a strange disturbance near the edge of the system, we need you to investigate. By the power of this disturbance, it could wipe out the whole Lylat system if it destabilized." Fox stood from his chair, nodding.

"We'll be on our way as soon as possible Pepper." He shook his head at Fox's words, causing Fox to raise his eyebrow.

"I need you to stop by the Macbeth orbital shipyard. I hired a specialist to help you on this mission. He's waiting for you there." Fox nodded as Slippy moved over to his chair, quickly rewiring the computer for the fourth time.

"Roger that, Rob, set course for the Ship yard. How much are you offering for this?" Pepper smiled his hand moving as though he was typing something.

"Four hundred thousand Liat. And whatever it takes to repair the Great Fox for you." Fox's jaw just about hit the floor. He quickly recovered, already speaking.

"That's, ahh, very generous sir. I'll have Peppy keep a link to you and update you on our status." Fox's screen lit up after Slippy finished working on the computer, bringing a smile to Fox's face.

"Affirmative Fox. Good luck." Fox nodded and the line cut, the music returning. He sat down in his chair, smiling as the Great Fox approached. The music cut off again and Fox answered it, a flat screen appearing on the holo-projector, and shockingly enough, a human. All they could see was his upper chest, but he was wearing an angular chestplate and shoulder plates, all pained a matte black with a matte black uniform underneath. The human was frankly odd to look at by Fox's standards, but he was used to seeing people covered in fur, whereas humans only had hair on the top of their heads, his being short, well kept, and brown. His eyes were a steel grey color and he had an expression on his face that Fox could only describe as 'serious' on his face.

"This is Daniel Wander, requesting permission to come aboard as soon as you've docked, Great Fox." Fox smirked, instantly responding.

"feel free too. Come up to the bridge when you get aboard." The man frowned, just before cutting the link. "friendly, Rob, bring us in, then prep for warp jump." The boxy robot responded as the station came closer in the viewport, dozens of the new Cornerian destroyers under construction in the yard.

* * *

 _High Orbit, Ganymede, Sol System_

"Captain, were detecting a slip space disturbance, long range. It's, pretty powerful, sir." Captain Del Rio turned toward the tech, already speaking.

'Where, lieutenant?" the man tapped a few keys on his console, placing the data on the central holographic table, dead center of the Infinity's command bridge.

"well, that's the kicker sir, its in the Lylat system." He looked at the system map, seeing oit beyond the other planets, and not anywhere near any of the known planets in the system. The Lylat system was also dozens of light years away.

"prepare the ship for slipspace jump." One of his other officers suddenly spoke up, practically shouting.

"sir, the treaty of Installation zero-five makes a warship arriving an act of war." He growled, turning toward his com officer.

"hail the Bastogne. I want Captain Robles on scene ASAP!"

* * *

 ** _Three Weeks Prior._**

 _Deep Space, Forbidden Zone, Lylat System._

"What planet is that?" the swine turned his beady eye's on the strange blue vixen he had taken aboard, her soft voice breaking the silence of the small craft's bridge.

"No one knows. Every ship that's tried to land on it is destroyed. Or so the story goes. That's why the CDF declared this a forbidden zone, and struck the planet from official records centuries ago. Only high ups and crazy people like me know about it. most forbidden zones are deadly to any ship to enter them." The woman shivered, although that could be due to her outfit. It was a fairly scarce outfit, an open sided gown, essentially a rectangular strip of cloth draped over her, and bound at her waist by a length of gold chain. Some of the cloth bunched up on the cord, with the only other break in the smooth cloth being the simple V-neck for her head. Her turquoise eyes were seemed red and tired. As he watched she winced slightly.

"take me there, please." He spun on the spot, shouting at her.

"look lady!, I picked you up to help ya, but I aint losing my ship for ya!" she nodded, cocking her head to the side.

"then let me take an escape pod." He cursed and waved her off.

"Fine, it's your funeral lady." He heard the door behind him close and he rolled his eyes. "damned crazy Cerinian."


	2. Wandering Warriors

**So this is the begining of our tale! sorry that it is mostly set up and description, but i want to capture the feeling of the game best i can. I.E. how run down the 'Fox is, and how the characters are interacting. there will be more in the next chapter about why Dan left the UNSC in the next chapter, and more of Krystal's story before Star Fox is sent to Sauria. i hope you enjoy and please, let me know if i got the right feel going. PS yes, there is a reference in the first section you would have to have read Halo Forgotten heroes to understand fully. i will explain it in this story, but it will be faster for you if your read Forgotten Heroes.**

* * *

 _Thorntail Hollow, Sauria._

Natalie Roland sighed as she stared out her unglazed window, the two wooden crossbars cemented into the stone not even carved from the branches she used to make them. Her feet carried her over to the small, make shift bed, made from rough branches and the leather hides of some of the local animals she would hunt for food. Beside the cot, was a small, worn out crate, made from polymers and metal, things beyond her capability of producing. On this crate, was a thin, rectangular datapad, barely functioning. She picked it up, using it for the one thing she struggled to keep it working for, the date. _Wow, I cant believe it's been ten years to the day since Actium fell._ Another sigh slipped out as she looked at the picture, front and center of the datapad. A tear slipped out and she darkened the screen before memories could crop up. _Cant think about that now. Food is running low, gotta get more._ She grabbed the bow leaning against the earthen wall and slung the quiver that went with it. her feet carried her down the earthen ramp and she slipped through the blissfully cool waterfall that hid the entrance to her cave home. After a few steps through knee deep water, she was stepping up on the sandy banks leading to the grassy fields and hills of Thorntail hollow. It was situated at the foot of a mountain range, the tallest cluster of peaks being covered with snow, vastly different from the near tropical biome below. Her bare feet burned as she past a pair of massive, spike covered dinosaurs, which, despite it's appearance, was quite friendly.

"Oh, hello huntress, out for another hunt?" it had taken her years to learn the language of the massive dinosaurs.

"Yes. Gals gotta eat, doesn't she?" the dinosaur chuckled before it responded.

"Well, make sure it doesn't talk before you go after it. I still remember when you first showed up here." She laughed and was starting to stride away when a streak in the sky drew her attention. It was nothing like a meteorite, and seemed to be controlling itself as it fell. Instantly curious, and quickly checked its direction, before she drew her bow and started running. The pod was headed roughly toward the east forests, a place that was swarming with the deadly sharp claw army. Little did she know, the sharp claw army had staged a massive coup overnight, and shortly, even the hollow would no longer be safe. She glanced back at the stone ruins her home was hidden behind. On the ridge the ruins were built into, and her water fall came down, had more ruins. Inside was a massive, stone guardian that she had only ever glimpsed moving with in the structure. A pair of massive triceratops like creatures usually guarded the entrance. She frowned as she realized they were gone. She shrugged and continued to run, following the path that lead there. After several minutes she slowed to a walk. After a few more minutes, she heard a rustle in the still branches, knowing exactly what it was. In an instant, she had an arrow knocked and aiming for the tree.

"Delf, I know you are up there." The female light foot, almost like a chubbier, thicker legged, veloci-raptor. She in particular, had vibrant orang feathers sticking off the back of her head, held there by a section of crude brass, and marking her a s mating female of the species. She dropped from the tree as she spoke.

"how do you always know where me hide?" her voice was high pitched and scratchy.

"Because I've had ten years to learn your hiding spots." The dino cocked her head at Natalie as they continued down the path.

"Ten?! it has been only three?!" she chuckled a smile sliding onto her face as she slipped the arrow from the string and back into her quiver.

"Ten earth years. It's roughly three Earth years for one Saurian year." The dino shrugged, accepting that. "So, did you see that fire streak go by?" the dino suddenly stopped, causing Natalie to stop as well.

"Yes, I did. It landed not too far from here. A creature like you came out of it." that right there stunned her. _Another human, here! That means someone may know of this place!_ She was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Do you know where they went!?" the dino nodded and took off, forcing Natalie to sprint to keep up. Luckily, ten years of surviving on the planet had made her faster and stronger than the average person. Even then, she had a tough time keeping up. After what felt like forever, she arrived in a small clearing, the dinosaur suddenly stopping and leaping into the trees. Ahead of her, in the clearing, was something that was definitely not human, but not the brutal aliens trying to wipe out humanity either. whatever it was, looked like a bipedal fox, only vibrant blue and white, with a strange purple and gold laced bow staff, one end bulbous with a faint turquoise light emanating from it. the opposite end was a turquoise spear point, edged in gold. The woman had a short length of vibrant blue hair as well. Natalie quickly slipped an arrow onto the string of her bow before stepping out of the trees.

* * *

The blue vixen tried to not let a smile show on her face, able to sense the same sentient creature as earlier, another far more complex mind along with it. She could sense the hostility in the second mind, almost feeling the bow string tighten in the person's hands. Before the figure could step out of the trees, she sent a small fire blast from the bulbous end of her staff into the tree beside them, startling them out of the shadows. One was a two legged, short armed scaled creature, mostly brown and tan in color. It was wearing a brass head dress, bright orange feathers sticking off the back of it's head. The other, more complexly minded individual, was a human female, a little shorter than herself. Her furless skin was heavily tanned and slightly red with solar burns. Her light green eyes fit perfectly with her light brown hair, and surprisingly soft features. Her hair was barely darker than her skin at the moment, and although it had a few tangles in it, it was clean and well kept, as was the rest of her body. She was wearing very little, just a rough hide skirt and breast covering, rough cords tying the hide together at the sides of her body. Over her shoulder was a quiver full of arrows, the strap across her chest having a small, black handled, black sheathed knife, way too advanced for her tribal like clothing. The bow in her hands was a mid-length affair, comprised of one long bend and two smaller conflicting bends on either side. The human kept her bow raised and aimed at the vixen's chest, earning her a small smirk from the vixen.

 _Do not be alarmed. I am a friend._ It seemed that the woman could not hear her thought as she shouted in an unfamiliar tongue.

 _"Do not move or I will kill you where you stand, animal!"_ the vixen concentrated a little harder this time, not realizing how out of practice she was with using telepathy. She had only known what the woman said because of her ability to literally read people's minds.

 _Stop. I am no threat to you, human. I only ask your name, mine is Krystal._ The human froze, the bow lowering slightly.

"That voice, it's you, isn't it?" this time, she spoke in a human language that the Vixen knew very well, given it had few differences between it and the main language of the Lylat system she had just arrived in.

"Yes, that voice in your head is me. And your name is?" the only real difference in the Lylatian language and English was their written forms, and the names. As It so happened, the Lylat races had been reciving radio broadcasts for centuries, their language slowly adopting the sounds of the humans, as well as some of their musical styles, among other things.

"Natalie." She released the tension on the string as she pointed the arrow at the dirt, but Krystal got the feeling that if she wanted to, she could snap the weapon back up and fire in an instant with little chance of missing at this range.

 _"A pleasure to meet you, Natalie. If you will, I am here because I felt a distress call, coming from a lone mountain swathed in a storm. Does that sound familiar to either of you?"_ a unique attribute to being able to read people's minds was the ability to learn languages from others near instantaneously, leaving very little need for a translator for her, regardless of who she spoke to. Thus, she was already speaking the main language native to this planet fluently.

 _"That sound like Krazoa Palace. But no one allowed there but Earth Walker!"_ the dinosaur was the one speaking now as a thought from Krystal caused her staff to collapse down to less than a third of a meter long, letting her easily slide it in the chain around her waist.

 _"Can you point me the way then?"_ both of them shook their heads, but the human was quickly speaking.

 _"Yeah, but you wont get there on foot. The storms are nasty right now. Wont let up. It's like some sort of defensive barrier. A Cloud Runner may be able to get you there, but I don't know any. I've never even been there myself."_ Krystal nodded, lost in thought for a second before the dinosaur made a loud, shrill squawk. A few seconds later, Krystal realized there was another sentient creature nearby, this one in the sky. She looked up, seeing a strange, winged creature soar down and hover above them shouting down at them.

 _"Delf, why are you calling me! I'm on an urgent mission! The Krozoa Palace is under attack!"_ the grounded dinosaur was instantly shouting back.

 _"Me friend here needs help! She is here in response to the attack on the Krazoa Palace, to help!"_ the flying dino suddenly swooped to the ground, landing very lightly.

 _"how does Natalie know of the attack?"_ Krystal decided to remain silent, letting the dino's talk it out.

 _"She knows very little. Dis other one knows though! She felt distress call, came to help!"_ winged creature glanced at her before speaking.

 _"Okay, I will take you to the palace, but you will find your own way off. I am only to report on the events unfolding there, no more!"_ Krystal nodded and smiled, speaking gently.

 _"That is alright. I will be fine there. Thank you. My name is Krystal."_ Suddenly, the human spoke up before Krystal could mount the flying creature.

 _"Wait, who attacked the palace?"_ the flying dino sighed as Krystal mounted on his back, getting her staff out and extending it.

 _"General Scales."_ Whoever that was, it seemed to click something into place in the girls mind, and she was gone in a flash, ripping through the trees. _"Hold on tight Krystal!"_ and with that, he leapt into the air, leaving the ground, and Krystal's stomach, hundreds of feet below.

* * *

 ** _Present_**

 _Bridge, Great Fox, Forbidden Zone, 1200 kilometers from high orbit of Sauria._

I slid my old helmet on and quickly cycled the bolt of the MA5C dangling off my chest, making absolutely clear that it was empty before stepping through the doors and onto the bridge. It had only been a few hours, just enough time for me to drop the heavy duffle bags and the massive case I had brought with me in my cabin. One duffel was filled with spare ammo and clips for my three weapons, an assault rifle, a small, silence able sub-machine gun, and an old forty-five caliber handgun. They had all been deemed as scrap, as well as my armor, after the end of the Human-Covenant War, allowing me to easily buy my old kit, much cheaper than the cost of civilian market counter parts, and far superior to them anyway. Even the more advanced pieces had been scrapped to make way for the SPI armor, or semi-powered infiltration armor, that Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and other special forces were now being issued. The bullpup rifle in my hands was also now outdated, replaced with a newer, more efficient and lighter model, but mine had served with me since I joined the military, surviving with as many scars as I had.

The members of the team the job I was hired for were all on the bridge before me, one being a short, green toad by the name of Slippy, ironically, Toad. He was a brilliant mechanic by the file I had been sent, and seemed a generally likable person, even if he tended to be weak willed and awkward. He was currently working on the boxy robot pilot, bringing the mech online. Something about the mech seemed my sentient than the average 'dumb' AI he was claimed to be. In the navigation chair was a plump, greying rabbit, the oldest member of the team, both in age and having been an original member. His name was, again ironically, Peppy Hare. The final member was sitting in the central command chair, already wearing a green sleeveless flight suit with a white, zip up, sleeveless tactical vest. Beside his chair was a survival pack, one long vertical compartment holding a water bladder and rations, and two smaller rectangular side pouches for any other supplies. The man himself, was a brunt orang and white fox, with deep emerald eyes. To add another irony to the train wreck worth, his name was Fox McCloud. One of his ears twitched as I moved onto the bridge, glancing at the polarized visor of my ODST helmet as I stared out the viewport to the mostly green world ahead of us. The planet looked relatively normal from here, with the exception of an asteroid belt and several massive floating chunks in orbit around the planet.

"Well, this is the spot. I never knew that there was another planet in our system." Fox's voice slipped across the bridge before Peppy spoke up.

"Well, it was removed from the records when they made this a forbidden zone. No ship has ever managed to land on the surface before, but we gotta try. Some rumors have floated around about it's existence, and at the right time of year, you can see it from Corneria. Just gets hushed up." I remained silent as the green orb drew closer in the view screen.

"In range of planet, initiating scanners." The holo projector popped to life before us, showing the same planet as the one before us, but not a full image. The side of the planet across from his was not scanned, but would be in an hour or so as the ship settled into a high orbit. "I detect life and atmosphere on the outlying chunks. I will recalibrate the scanners." I spoke up for the first time since introducing myself, causing Slippy to nearly jump out of his skin.

"No. your scanners are right. Look at that chunk. Green. Don't usually have green without life." Fox nodded in agreement before he finally stood, slinging his pack and checking his small pistol. Cornerian weapons were very advanced high velocity plasma weapons, firing ionized gas mixtures to burn through a target. Although similar in many ways to covenant weaponry, Cornerian weapons fired their shots at vastly superior speeds, making it easier to hit targets, even though the weapons were less efficient and less powerful. But, knowing from firsthand experience, accuracy and range far outstripped power any day of the week. "How am I getting down there McCloud?" Fox glanced up at me for a second before he spoke.

"Same way as me. Your file says you know how to fly, so load up our other working Arwing with whatever supplies you need and can, and follow my lead." I nodded and marched back to my cabin, Fox headed for the hanger at the very bottom of the ship. In my small loaned cabin, I grabbed the duffel of ammo and the large hard case before heading down to the hanger myself. When I stepped off the elevator, a sigh escaped my lips of it's own accord. The hanger deck was in as shabby of condition as the ship itself, with missing hull plates, one of the four disused catapults missing, and several fighters scattered across the deck. Only two of the fighters weren't scattered in unusable pieces, both looking like they were just barely in flying condition. Fox was already at one of them, loading the cargo bay with food supplies. Although the original Arwing design was different from these, many characteristics of these newer models were the same, from the shape of the G-Diffusers, to the location of the cockpit and cannons. The biggest difference was in the length and shape of the nose and wings. The nose was longer than on the mark one's, and more boxy. On the underside of the nose was a ramp that could lower, allowing access to a small storage bay that could easily carry supplies. The wings were also thicker and locked in a shallow swept position, meant for more diverse combat than the small interceptors the original Arwings were. I quickly slipped my gear in the cargo bay of my fighter before stepping up the retractable steps and dropping into the fighter, propping my rifle up beside the chair. I gave Fox a thumbs up and with in seconds, our fighters had lifted off into the air, racing for the planet below.


	3. The Staff

**so this is kinda a weird chapter for me, given it is almost entirely one veiwpoint. anyway, please enjoy, and above all, review!**

* * *

 _Asteroid Field, Sauria Orbit_

Fox easily slipped through the asteroids, occasionally firing a burst of plasma at a small asteroid blocking his path. Although not as skilled as Fox, the pilot behind him still had considerable skills as a pilot, managing to duck and weave through the dense and active asteroid field with him. After several minutes and more close calls than Fox could care to admit. Their two fighters were ripping through the atmosphere, flame ripping past the magnetic shielding the Arwings were equipped with. After a few seconds, the flame died out, leaving them in clear blue sky. Fox easily guided them toward the set of structures they had seen from orbit, finding them over some very hilly terrain with a few streams and rivers flowing through it. the most level landing spot was near a stream that dropped off a small ridge, making a short water fall before the stream. There were ruins both on the ridge that the stream flowed through, and up against the ridge that the stream fell down. Fox could see several paths winding around, one even headed up to the snow capped mountains in the distance. Once he was closer, he killed his thrust and raised the collective beside his seat. A quick switch later and his landing gear deployed, letting him gently set down on the ground. The other fighter set down a few meters away as fox powered the craft down and opened the cockpit, sliding out. His hand instinctively dropped to his blaster at the sight of the massive, four legged, spike covered creatures. They seemed to watch as Wander climbed out of his own fighter, his assault rifle loosely balanced in his hands.

"Relax McCloud, any five year old could tell you those are not hostile." Fox raised an eyebrow at the human, the visor on the man's helmet clear. The helmet covered the entirety of his face and was clearly designed to be sealable. Most of the helmet was smooth, with a semi angular visor. His armor mimicked this, with a mix of smooth surfaces and angular lines. He had on a small assault pack and several pouches, along with a thigh holster connected to the equipment belt, and on the other side, a knife and some sort of short weapon, strapped in place. The rifle in his hands was also strange to look at for Fox, a sort of bull-pup ballistic weapon with a cowl raised above the barrel, a simple grey color. There was a thin scar like cut on the top of the cowl that a small amount of carbon could still be seen in the lightweight aluminum. The only break in the black and greys of his armor was his fingers, half exposed by fingerless gloves.

"And how would you know that?" he lazily pointed at one off in the distance, munching on a clump of grass.

"Most Herbivores are not openly aggressive. They'll attack if provoked, but not spontaneously." Suddenly, before Fox could respond to the human, his communicator blared to life, the audio filled with static. A grainy hologram of General Pepper's face floated above his wrist.

"Fox, I made some calls and got some new intel. One ship did make landfall and returned, a science vessel. I'm forwarding the data they brought back now." Small holo's of different creatures appeared next to Peppers head, names above each. Above the names was a hostility level, and another word. Sentient. Meaning, the majority of the creatures that passed by had language and the ability form complex thoughts or ideas. Most of the creatures were labeled harmless, until a massive, tri-horned creature appeared, labeled as moderately hostile. Next after that, was a bipedal creature, matching the rough build of a Cornerian, but bulkier, taller, and lizard like. The one displayed was toting a sword and shield, and wearing plate armor. it was labeled as hostile.

"How old is this data, sir?" Fox started spinning the micro images through, investigating each species as he spoke.

"Only about thirty years Fox." His attention flicked back to the holo of Pepper, shocked.

"Thirty?! This area of the system has been a forbidden zone for nearly three centuries!" Pepper nodded, the sound of metal on metal drawing Fox's attention. Wander had slipped a magazine into his weapon and charged it, slinging the weapon before doing the same with his handgun and the other weapon.

"Yes, thirty. We gave a ship the absolute best shielding and most robust systems and armored it for a crash. The crew survived and it took three years to bring the ship back online, but while the crew brought the ship online, the scientists explored the planet and gathered data. There were several casualties, but they came home with a ton of data. I've compiled and compressed the relevant data and sent it to Peppy, he said he would have Slippy build you translator software, but for now, link with the ship and have him translate for you." Fox stopped scrolling through the races when a new one popped up, a massive creature known as a red eye. The hostility marker on it said it was extremely hostile and to kill it on sight.

"That looks like a T-Rex." Fox glanced over at Wander as he spoke, the visor on his helmet no longer clear, but a dark silver, hiding his face.

"My recommendation to the two of you is to find the rulers of the Earth Walker dinosaur tribe. They will be the most likely to be able to help you figure out what is going on. We're counting on you Star Fox, Pepper out." His hologram winked away, just before Fox closed off the intel list. He looked up to speak to Wander, but he had already moved away, seeming to speak with one of the dinosaurs as the rest slowly dispersed. Fox could hear bits of his voice, and not one word of it made sense to Fox, after the creature responded, he waved and trotted back to Fox.

"These Thorntails say that the Queen earthwalker is being held in that structure. Some sort of coup occurred a few weeks ago, and movement is dead at the moment, they have no idea where the King Earthwalker is. If I were you, I would go check out that structure, I've got another lead I'm going to follow. Deal?" Fox nodded and started trotting away. there were several bunches of small flowers littering the ground, as well as several small copses of palm trees. As Fox passed one of those small thickets, he noticed a strange flash of blue, almost like a flame. As he moved closer, he noticed something sticking up out of the ground it was a long purple staff with intricate gold inlaid across the entire shaft. Another blue spark slipped away from a golden seed like bulb on the end of the weapon, a small turquoise gem visible at the center of the bulb. He stopped at the weapon, grabbing it firmly before yanking it free of the ground. The opposite end of the weapon was a spear point, a strange smooth turquoise gem edged in gold. The second he picked the weapon up, energy jolted through him, blue flame erupting from either end of the staff. The bulbous end split open, revealing the gem below. A voice seemed to fill every corner of his mind, speaking in a language Fox didn't know, but he somehow knew what she was saying.

 _"If you are hearing this message, then I am either in grave danger, or I have passed. The weapon you now hold is a powerful tool with many uses and abilities. It will take time for you to master it, but once you have, you will find it is as useful as a companion. I hope it protect you as well as it did me. Please take care of it."_ Fox gave the weapon a gentle twirl, albeit a clumsy one. After a few more twirls and swings, his form with the weapon seemed to correct on it's own, moving the weapon faster and faster. After a few minutes, he was panting, but the weapon felt as familiar as a friend. He smirked, and was thinking of how to store it when is suddenly collapsed down to barely a foot long. His eyes widened, but he couldn't complain, sliding the staff under his back pack and making sure it got snagged on the handle so it wouldn't slip out. A quick roll of his shoulders and he was moving again. His destination was a small stone entryway with a short fenced courtyard, the entire building looking ill maintained with vines and moss growing on it. it was built into a hill side, making the entrance the only visible structure. Now that he was closer, he noticed the four brown and tan Sharp Claw soldiers guarding the sealed door. Two held wooden maces and bucklers, while two held long, large bore rifles. The simple design and lack of any visible magazine made Fox guess that they were some form of primitive muzzle loading powder rifles. But the caliber alone would likely tear Fox's arm off should they hit him. All four were wearing simple leather armor, studded with small bits of metal to add at least some protection. He reached back and drew the weapon as the two rifle armed 'Claws aimed at him, shouting in their language. Time seemed to freeze as the female voice returned.

 _"I have embedded in this weapon some basic teachings as to how to use it. They shall only activate when the proper situation for their use arises. The fire blast is the most basic and useful of all of the powers this staff possesses, able to fire a super heated bolt of energy at the target."_ As the voice cut off, he felt how to do it, as if the staff was forcing his body through it. suddenly, time unfroze and he gripped the staff in two hands, pointing the bulbous end roughly at one of the gunmen. In his mind, he pictured where he wanted to hit and a red bolt ripped away from the staff, slamming into his target's chest. Although it clearly burned away most of the creature's dermis in a roughly four inch circle, it did no more than make the Sharp Claw cry out in pain. Fox let himself fall onto his side, the two rifles firing with resounding booms. He had no idea where the shots went, and he almost couldn't see the four dinosaurs through the billowing white smoke left by the weapons discharging. Fox launched to his feet, sprinting at the four enemies. Both of the shield bearers positioned themselves between Fox and the marksmen, the marksmen pouring powder from canisters down their barrels. Fox leapt into the air as soon as he was close enough, swinging the bulbous end of the staff at one shield bearers head, and attempting a double footed kick at the others. The firs never saw the blow coming, staggering away as it likely saw stars. The second saw Fox's feet whipping towards him and moved his shield to block, giving Fox the perfect spring board past. He sent himself spinning off the shield, twirling the staff at the same time to slam the bladed end into the back of one marksmen's knee, cleaving through. The creature screamed as it slumped over clutching the bleeding wound. Meanwhile, Fox landed and continued to spin, slamming the bulbous end of the staff into the other marksmen's head and firing another fire blast into it. the creature slumped to the ground, Fox feeling drained from just two fire blasts. Thinking quickly, he spun the staff behind his back and switched which hand was using the staff just before slamming it into one of the shield bearer's weapon wrist as the creature swung at him. In the same movement, Fox drew his blaster and fired a pair of bolts into the creature's chest. It slumped to the ground without a sound as he aimed and fired at the dazed bearer and the legless gunman, silencing both.

"Hmm, not actually that bad of a weapon, but man I feel tired." He tried to shake his head clear after he spoke, slipping the blaster away as the voice spoke again.

 _"The shockwave is another useful power, allowing the user to release blasts of kinetic energy at a target, or in a blast around them. But, in comparison to the Fire Blast, it can be extremely taxing on the user."_ Fox just shrugged, aimed at the solid stone door, and sent a shockwave at it. the door was blasted inward, sending dust everywhere. But Fox lost sight of the dust as he fell to one knee, his eyes closed as he clutched his head. After a few seconds, he felt obliged to look up, seeing a shadowy figure, faintly blue in color. For a second, he thought it was his imagination, but then the voice returned.

 _"I was unable to leave anymore teachings in the staff, due to the same thing you are experiencing now. A lack of life force. Although you feel exhausted, sleep would not cure it, for it is merely an effect of your draining life force. Push yourself too hard, and it will be your end. As time passes, you will learn to use the staff's power more efficiently, and the power of your life force will grow. As those occur, you will be able to do more with the staff, both in terms of power and quantity."_ As the voice spoke, the woman's Vulpine head formed into a more solid appearance, her face fur being primarily white, edged in deep blue, with shoulder length blue hair. She had a braid on the right side of her face, dropping beside her right eye, and she was wearing a flat blue gem on her forehead, held in place by a length of gold chain running under her hair. _"And this is my final goodbye. Should you desire to find me, my name is Krystal. Always endeavor to use this staff for good, and it will be ever faithful to you. I bid you good luck, and farewell."_ With the end of the message, the phantom faded from his vision, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts.

* * *

Captain Samantha Robles sipped on her coffee as her ship ripped through slipspace, only minutes away from their destination. Although the crew around her were almost entirely replacements, the ship still felt like home. Her mind drifted off to her husband back on earth, now retired and alone in their beach front him. She hated it, but her contract wouldn't be up for another two years, leaving them separated for a while. When the count down timer hit two minutes, she let her voice ring out across the command bridge.

"All hands, prepare for deceleration. Conners, make sure our stealth systems are engaged, Smith, prepare to move us away from the rad spike, Harrison, bring shields and weapons online." Her crew all acknowledged as one. In the last ten seconds of the countdown, the ship groaned and vibrated, just before a planet and star field appeared. The planet looked to be tearing itself apart. The view quickly shifted as the pilot moved them away from their exit point. Her sensor specialist suddenly spoke up.

"Ma-am, got a positive contact, placing it on your board now. The ship looked run down and damaged, but was in their database. It was a thousand meter long vessel, with four long wings on the back of the hull and a shorter wing jutting straight up from the hull. three massive engines were it's main propulsion. Above the engines was a hanger bay, as well as a fighter bay under the main cannons, located on the lower half of the front end of the vessel. Above the cannons was a long thin corridor that lead to the command bridge. The ships name was the Great Fox, and was surprisingly one of the largest ships in Cornerian space. Although it was technically a mercenary vessel, it was flagged that it routinely did work for the Cornerian government.

"Alright, stay undetected and survey the planet. I want that slipspace anomaly found, identified, and catalogued so we can get the hell out of here." She glanced at the diagram of the ship again, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. _In his last message, he did say he was going private contractor in the Lylat system. I wonder….._


	4. Mountain in the Storm

**Yes, this story is still going! i am actually really happy with the second half of this chapter, the first i feel like i give too much away, for those reading Forgotten Heroes. anyway, do enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _Present_**

 _Thorntail Hollow_

I trotted across the grass toward the small water fall flowing out of the structure on the hill. The Thorntail had said that a woman had lived in an under ground borrow hidden behind the waterfall. A woman that walked and moved like myself and Fox who hadn't been see in well over two weeks. The couple dozen meter walk took no time at all, stopping at the water fall.

"Sam, can you give me a scan?" there was silence for a few seconds before a feminine voice responded.

"As the dinosaur said, there is cave behind this water fall. are you scared to go in or something?" I rolled my eyes before stepping through the curtain of water.

"Of all the things I could have smuggled off the Bastogne, I had to smuggle the wise cracking AI." I reached the other side to find a damp but smooth ramp, coated in moss. The tunnel stretched a few meters before sharply veering to the right and disappearing. I flicked the light on my rifle on before I went deeper in, a small HUD display of Sam's avatar appearing in my vision. She had taken the form of someone who had been a close friend of both us, with long brown hair, uncharacteristically loose and uncontrolled, with a very slight curl to it that made it seem styled. Her brown eyes fit perfectly with her hair and rounded face, as well as her darker skin. She had always been a small girl, even in body armor, not that the avatar was wearing that. The outfit the AI had chosen was a tank top and cargo capris, white and black and grey cameoed respectively.

"oh you love me. If not only for being able to see Maria whenever I show up." I closed my eyes for a second, shoving the memories that name brought up aside.

"No, I keep you around because you're useful." I stalked down the corridor, wishing she would disappear. My light illuminated a half lit room inside, with a single unglazed window straight across from me in the earthen room. To the right was a small cot and an old, beaten up, U.N.S.C. munitions crate. There was a datapad on top of the crate and I slowly approached, picking up the small instrument. "Sam, see if you can power this thing up." As I spoke, I pulled a cord off my tactical pad embedded in my left wrist armor and plugged the datapad in. it took several second to boot up, but when it did, the first thing it displayed was an image. It was of a trio of friends that made my heart drop out at the sight of one of them. The blonde haired girl on the right of the picture had died in my arms ten years ago today. The black haired girl in the center was alive and on Earth, married to a member of my old squad. I had re-met her in a bar on Reach after Actium's fall. The third girl in the image had gone missing when Actium fell, and although she was familiar to me, I had never known her very well, never even learning her name. _How did this datapad and crate get here?_ The thought crossed my mind as I slid the loose lid off the crate, on top of the pile of junk inside being an M-6 series handgun, slide forward. I picked the weapon up and racked it to find it was empty, a few empty ammo boxes inside the case. Aside from that, there were a few empty rations cases, nothing inside seeming of importance. I frowned, wondering where the woman could be until a pair of rapid, echoing booms came through the window. I cursed and disconnected from the datapad before walking toward the exit. "Get anything useful from the datapad Sam?"

"I'm afraid not. A few journal entries, but they stop six years ago. From what I can gather, the owner's name is Natalie Roland, and she was stranded here when the liner she was on crashed here. A few of the entries mention barely getting off Actium during the battle, and a few theories about the ship crashing from battle damage." I absently nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Apparently a few others survived the crash, but were killed by a Sharp Claw scouting party, including two soldiers. That's where the pistol is from, the rifles were all empty."

"Roger that. Guess we'll need to ask around for more information. Now let's go see what that moron got into." The avatar of the AI finally disappeared as I stepped through the water fall and back into the open air.

* * *

 ** _Three Weeks Prior_**

 _Suarian Skies._

Krystal tried to shield her eyes from the raging rain storm the cloud runner was flying through, barely able to hold onto the strangely shaped leather saddle mounted on it's back. It was slick to the touch, soaked by the rain.

"How long until we reach the palace!?" she shouted at the top of her lungs, barely able to hear herself over the din of the storm and the beating of the creature's wings.

"Maybe an hour if we are lucky!" as he finished, something in the cloud ahead of them glowed a brilliant scarlet before a massive red fireball ripped out of the cloud bank, headed straight for them. The cloud runner suddenly dropped, Krystal nearly losing her seat as it dodged the shot. Instinctively, she grabbed the staff off her hip and extended it, ready to fire back as soon as a target presented itself. Out of the rain came a large seaborne warship, modified with wings and a massive propeller on the back. The prow of the warship had a giant dinosaur like head that roared at them, just before letting loose another fireball at them.

"Don't dodge!" as she spoke, she used the staff to create a blue hued shield of light, covering both herself and the cloud runner. The fireball detonated on the barrier, washing around it like an angry river splashing across a rock, just before dissipating. "Let's take that ship down, get us behind it!"

"But that is General Scales Flagship!" the Cloud runner started ducking and weaving, trying to run away from the vessel.

"Exactly! This is our chance to destroy it!" the cloud runner groaned in protest, but complied, looping about and ducking as another fireball ripped past, singing Krystal's fur. Within a second or so, they were whipping past the hull of the ship, Krystal being forced to hug the creature's neck as it rolled over one of the long sail like wings. As soon as they were behind the vessel, she started firing fire blasts the size of large fruit at the rearward propeller. The massive thick blades began warping and bending as she hit them again and again, just before a sharp crack drew her attention, a Sharp Claw on the rear deck was firing a rifle at them. Several more were lining up to do the same when she fired at them, the brilliant red blasts ripping through them and the sails behind them. As soon as they were dispatched, she opened fire on the prop again, seeing the blades sag and fall from the hub. Her smile faded as the ship accelerated, swinging around as fast as a space craft so the bow 'dino' gun could fire on her. she snapped off a pair of blasts into it's open maw just before it could fire, flame spewing from it's neck as it exploded. "Drop me on the vessel!"

"okay, but be careful Krystal!" she nodded as the Cloud runner angled over the deck, Krystal sliding off it's back. She landed on the back deck, right where the steering wheel was, tumbling back to her feet on contact. Three Sharp Claw were there, one manning the wheel, one with a long rifle, the other, bulkiest one, with a sword on it's hip and a massive pistol in it's hand. She ran toward the officer, swiping the pistol from it's hand with the bulbous end of her staff, side stepping off beside the creature to keep it's buddy from firing at her. in one smooth motion, she brought her staff around as she pivoted away from the officer, ramming the spear point back and into the Officer. She heard it scream before it fell, rolling to the side to dodge the rifle discharging behind her. the low grade powder left a thick cloud of smoke, hiding Krystal for a second before it was blown away. but a second was all she needed, rolling to her feet and firing a fist sized fire blast into the riflemen's chest. The final Sharp claw released the wheel and was about to pick it's mace up when she slashed the back of it's neck with her staff, sending it slumping onto the wheel. She grimaced, able to sense the fading pain of the opponents she had just killed, the exact moments of their deaths vividly left in her mind. She had felt similar in the past, but only once before had she been the source of it. she quickly shook it from her mind, running down one of the side stairways and onto the main deck. The ship groaned and creaked as it swayed back and forth, just like a ship at sea. Half a dozen powerful large bore cannon sat on each side of the ship, making up the primary siege weapons the ship was equipped with. In front of her was another staircase leading to a small platform, the extreme right and left flanks having small swivel cannon set on the rails straight forward of the stair well was a large room, closed off from the ship by a door. This door was currently on fire, spewing flames out of the cracks. On the corner rails formed by the top of the stairs, were two wooden poles, lanterns swaying from rings at the tops of them. About halfway down the length of the right hand pole was a wrought iron cage, with a small young Cloud runner inside. She rushed to the top of the stairs and carefully slid the bulbous end of the staff through the bars, so to direct the potential blast away from the dinosaur within.

"Cover your eyes, young one!" the cloud runner did so and she blasted the cage door open, quickly tugging her staff free. The small creature leapt out and took flight, managing to keep up with the ship in flight.

"Thank you, strange being. Please, you must save our people, stop General Scales! He's…." her voice stopped as the door beside them burst open, a massive slim Sharp Claw striding out as if the flames were nothing. His left hand was replaced with a pair of long sharp sword like claws, a massive sword being clutched in his right. His tattered vest and cover looked as if had been leather before, but was charred and ripped, his green tinged skin below seeing unharmed by the fierce flames scorching behind him. In one incredible motion, he darted forward, Krystal barely managing to bring her staff up for a block in time to keep from being sliced in half. However, the strike had so much force behind it that it cast her down the steps, her staff being caught by the wind and disappearing.

"My Staff!" her hand followed it's path out of her sight, feeling as if a part of her had been ripped away in that instant. She heard a loud cruel laugh and her head snapped over to in front of her, seeing General Scales start marching down the stairs toward her.

"And who is this delicious smelling creature I find scampering around the deck of my ship!?" Krystal quickly scooted away from him as he reached the main deck, his massive three clawed feet leaving chunks missing from the wood as he dug them in.

"You wont stay in power for long, Scales! Some day, someone will stop you!" he glanced at the empty cage at the top of the stairs, speaking as if she hadn't said a word.

"And I see you let my little 'pet' loose." Her head clunked up against the main mast, sending a shock of pain reverberating through her body. As she unintentionally rubbed her head, he suddenly lunged forward, picking her up by her neck and ramming her into the mast, his clawed hand causing a splintering dent in the thick wood. "You are nothing! I rule this world and there is no one who _can_ stop me!"

"You rule is false! Fueled by fear and brutality! It will not last!" he laughed as he casually strolled over to the edge of the ship, throwing her about like a rag. He suddenly pulled her face right up to his, speaking softly but incredibly menacing.

"I rule this planet by fear because those insignificant whelps don't know there places! And yours is nothing more than a splattered memory on the ground below us!" he shouted the last sentence, throwing her over the side rail of the ship, a scream ripping out of her lungs. Suddenly, she felt something solid beneath her, catching it the second she felt it. she smiled as she realized that it was the Cloud Runner that had brought her here.

"Nice catch, Rose!" the creature smirked, a small twinkle in his eye.

"You didn't think I'd let you fall did you?" she smiled as he drifted up level with the rail of the ship, the cloud runner keeping pace with the ship. Scales had turned his back to the rail, startling when she shouted.

"Maybe next time, General!" she cackled as he rushed to the railing, swinging his clawed arm at them but too late, for the cloud runner was already peeling away, disappearing into the storm. "Think you can still find the palace in this?" the bird like dinosaur nodded, already angling toward a dark shape looming out of the storm.

"Yes, it's up ahead there. I'll drop you there, but I cant help you after!" she nodded, remaining silent as he flew on. The storm seemed to lesson suddenly around the palace, the massive mountain top stone structure looming over the landscape like a massive guardian. Sections of the once beautiful stonework were blown apart and collapsed, scattering rubble across the area. There was a platform large enough to land a small transport that the Cloud runner flew too, landing on the edge and letting Krystal slide off. "Be Careful, there are still Sharp Claw all around." She smiled to him as she responded, patting his side.

"Thank you, and farewell, friend." The Cloud runner nodded before dropping off the ledge and flying away, drifting around on the wind as it slowly shrank to a dot to disappear into the storm.


	5. The Crystal

**_Well, this should be the last of the past for the time being. i'm not trying to follow the story so closely but it just kinda flowed that way. hope you all enjoy this, and please, drop some reviews!_**

* * *

 _Krazoa Palace_

Krystal held her breath as she listened to the Sharp Claw shamble by, knowing she had no chance against it with out her staff. The footsteps slowly receded, Krystal letting her breath out, relieved. She had made some progress into the palace, finding several corpses of the Earth walker Warriors that had sent the distress call, still not finding a single living one. There were several dozen dead Sharp claw she had passed as well, but they all had already had anything of use stripped of them, leaving her still weaponless. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to focus her telepathy. After a minute or so, she started to pick out the different collections of thoughts that made up those roaming the halls, a strange energy seeming to fill the halls of the palace. She could feel what she thought was the source, not far from her. The problem so far, had been reaching it. Between the roving sharp claw, looking for things to kill, and the damage to the palace, it had been near impossible to find a way to the source. She finally opened her eyes again, slipping through dark hallway after dark hallway, trying to keep heading toward her goal. She smiled when she saw a corridor that looked as if it lead where she was going. Her feet carried her too the hall, looking down it to see light at the far end. Her feet carried her to the end of the hall, opening into a relatively small chamber, relative being in comparison to other chambers she had seen. It was at least thirty-five meters long, with nearly a ten meter ceiling, a section of which had fallen in where a support pillar had collapsed. The lack of rain or light coming from the hole showed that there was more palace above the camber. The chamber was about twenty meters wide, the afore mentioned support columns, extremely ornate in their carving, lined the center of the chamber, evenly spaced in two rows of four, the one on the far right being the collapsed pillar. There were several Sharp claw corpses around the hall, a single Earth Walker lying dead center of the hall. At first, she thought it was dead, until it looked up, turning its head roughly toward her as it struggled to get on it's feet.

"Who's there!?" the hoarse shout was filled with pain, Krystal quickly moving forward as she responded.

"A friend. Are you al…" her voice cut off as she saw the condition he was in. one of his eyes had been gouged out by what looked like a mace hit, the other flooded with blood from a gash over the eyelid. One of his legs was clearly broken, a hole in his side letting blood flow fairly freely from his flank.

"Don't worry about me, young one. We need to protect the Krozoa spirits! Their shrines…. The Sharp Claw can not have their power!" Krystal couldn't help but be confused, having no clue what he was talking about. She gently touched the side of the dinosaur's muzzle, only to gasp as images seemed to rip though her mind. "You see now. now go! You must ensure that the sharp claw can not take them!" She nodded, sighing as she knew she was leaving him to die. But by what she saw, if the sharp claw got even one of these spirits, they could control every living thing on this planet with ease. Most of it didn't make any sense to her, seeming more like magic than anything she had encountered, but his beilief was all she needed to know that whatever these things were, they held some sort of real power.

"I will. I'm sorry that I cant help you." He seemed to not care at all, just shoving her off.

"Just go!" she turned away from him, toward a side chamber almost adjacent with them. Inside was a tiny room, just barely large enough for a small raised dais, looking like it was made of crystal with intricate ironwork inlaid in it. above it was a similar circular dais, almost identical in fact. The strange energy she had been feeling seemed to emanate from the two disks. She stepped up onto it, unsure what to do as she stepped into the center. Before she had time to think, she was being swathed in blue light, quickly feeling like she was nothing at all, just before the light seemed to compress and fade, but she was now somewhere else entirely, as if she had been teleported. Although the room she was in was the same, still standing on a raised dais, there was a door in front of her to a room filled with a soft blue light, accenting the gorgeous stonework of the room almost too perfectly. It was designed much like the main chamber the earth walker had been in, but the wall across from her was dominated by a massive circular mirror like object that seemed to be rippling like water from it's center. She cautiously stepped into the elongated room, noticing a strange pattern in the floor, almost like six faces with long goa tees, arranged like an elongated hexagon. When she reached the center, a voice seemed to reverberate throughout the room, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"You….. Are not of this world….. and yet, you may still be worthy to carry us….. Prove it to me, and I shall let you return me to my rightful place…" something felt off, like it didn't belong to the energy she had been feeling. A bust of one of the faces depicted on the floor pushed out of the liquid like surface of the wall, it's mouth agape as a strange purple glow emanated from it, just before something shot out of it's mouth, slamming into Krystal. She had no chance to react to it, excruciating pain ripping through her as she lifted into the air, feeling the energy she had been feeling now flowing into her. "Indeed you can…. Take me to where I belong…. You know the way." Before she knew what was happening, she was surrounded by the same blue glow, dissipating as she had done before.

* * *

Natalie slumped up against the stone wall of the palace, trying to slow her breath down. She had managed to run into a group of Earth Walker soldiers on their way to try and retake the Krazoa palace, but it had ended up futile. The Sharp claw were now packing primitive muzzle loaders, technology way beyond what she had ever seen them capable of. The large bore weapons, large enough to shatter a human's shoulder just by firing the weapon, were powerful enough to easily slaughter the dozen or so earth walker warriors she had been with, Natalie barely managing to slip into the palace, having been chased through the unfamiliar halls with no idea where she was. She sub-consciously reached up to her quiver, cursing as she discovered that there were only two arrows in it. she had always avoided the Sharp Claw soldiers in the past, never learning just how tough they were until today. She had pounded multiple arrows into ones chest, barely even slowing the creature down. The only one she killed, she had put the arrow through it's eye. Her breath slowly settled, her eyes closing for a few seconds.

A hand gently touched her shoulder, causing her to jump up, drawing her combat knife, nearly slicing the purple vulpine's head off, stopping the blade on her neck.

"God, you scared the crap out of me." The woman had an equally startled expression on her face, her hands up in surrender as she leaned away from the knife.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Can you put the knife down….. Please?" Natalie relaxed, her heart pounding in her chest yet again. Although she lowered the knife, she kept it in her hand, at the ready for anything. Natalie almost startled again as she looked the woman in the eyes, the woman's eyes now glowing purple.

"your eye's! they're… well, glowing!" the woman gave her a bewildered expression, clearly not know what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?" she seemed to be perfectly calm, and if her eye's weren't currently glowing, would seem absolutely normal.

"I mean, they are glowing purple! Seriously, they are!" she seemed to shrug, turning to step out from the small store room Natalie was hiding in.

"I guess it's just a side effect. I'll explain later. Come on, I could use your help." Natalie nodded, slipping the knife away before she scooped her bow up, nocking an arrow. They were quiet as they moved through the halls, Natalie occasionally glancing at the woman until she noticed her Staff being missing.

"What happened to your staff? And it's Krystal, right?" she nodded before responding, looking away.

"Yes, that's my name. and I lost it. knocked from my hand." Natalie nodded, letting silence fall between them once again. After a few minutes, and several seemingly random turns, Krystal, stopped, turning to face Natalie.

"Alright we need to get past a pair of Sharp claw guards ahead. I need your help. Think you can handle them?" Natalie nodded, trotting forward of her own accord. The two soldiers were guarding a T-intersection in the hall, their right sides illuminated by an eerie blue light that seemed to dance and swim like a liquid. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and calmly as she drew the string back on her bow, taking careful aim at one of the creature's eyes. Once her breath had left her lungs, she let the string slip out of her fingers, the arrow launching off toward it and burrowing itself into it's skull. It's companion startled, shocked as its fellow collapsed to the floor, and not reacting to the second arrow she had already launched, finding it's mark in the side of it's skull. It howled in pain, Natalie drawing her knife and rushing forward, slamming into the creature to force it to the ground, followed by plunging the weapon into it's chest again and again until it stopped moving. Blood covered her knife hand as she stood, trying to shake blood off the knife.

"What ever you need to do, make it quick, the others are bound to have heard that." Krystal rushed forward, headed toward the strange light, which was flowing from a circle around a strange bust at the end of the hall. The other end was what looked like a massive chamber, blocked off by a force field of some kind. Natalie quickly followed the vulpine, seeing her stop in front of the bust, falling to her knees. "Krystal?" the woman suddenly shrieked, something seeming to rip out of her chest and shoot into the bust, the bust shaking as it sunk into the wall, disappearing in the glowing liquid like substance around it. Natalie dashed to her side, gently grabbing her shoulder, trying to see if she was harmed. There was not a mark on her as she placed her hand on Natalie's, a faint smile on her face.

"I'm fine, just had the wind knocked out of me." Her eye's opened to reveal that they had returned to normal, no longer glowing.

"Your eyes! They're back to normal!" she smirked, shakily standing before her head suddenly snapped around, looking up at the ceiling some twenty feet away. she started slowly backing away as she spoke.

"No…. it can't be…. You're supposed to be…." Her voice cut off as she was sent flying backwards, knocking into Natalie and sending her sprawling. An echoing boom filled Natalie's ears as she looked up, seeing a stream of energy being shot from the round mirror like object the bust had disappeared into, Krystal floating inside the energy. Natalie began to scramble to her feet, but not in time, as Krystal launched down the hall, through the force field and into the chamber. Natalie rushed to the rippling field, stopping at it to try to see into the chamber beyond. The beam of light was shooting into a large purple crystal in the center of the room, Krystal now somehow locked inside. Natalie whacked the field with her knife, only to be blasted onto her back, the knife knocked from her hand. Her head slammed onto the ground, her world going black on impact.

* * *

Thorntail Hollow

 ** _Present Day_**

I trotted into the courtyard Fox had been investigating, seeing the dead Sharp Claws around the area. Two of them had been carrying massive muzzle loading rifles, clearly the source of the two gun shots. Fox was at the base of the entrance, on a knee, one hand on his forehead.

"Hey, McCloud, you haven't gone and hurt yourself have you?" he shook his head, standing up only to sway for a few seconds and drop back down.

"No, I'll be fine, just gimme a bit." I sighed, beginning to look around when I noticed four more Sharp Claw rushing toward the courtyard. I was instantly reacting, my weapon raising as I rushed to the wall, using it as cover as I began to fire. A loud bang accompanied each squeeze of the trigger, my HUD showing me where I was aiming. The two lead creatures had seen me moving and aiming, both raising shields and crouching to cover their feet. Even with the armor piercing munitions I was firing, the rounds seemed to being no more than blasting a few splinters off the wood covered steel shields. The two rear soldiers were toting more of the black powder rifles, using the lead elements shields to aim and fire, their inaccurate rounds ripping out with booms that were dull and elongated, vastly different to the sharp cracking booms my rifle produced. One of their rounds slammed into the wall almost three meters away, blasting the stone into chunks. The other went wide, hitting the structure behind me. Them firing gave me an opportunity, seeing one of the riflemen's head. A single round and he was toppling, the back of it's head blowing out from my fast moving round obliterating as it moved through its head. Another one of my rounds found it's self in the toe of one of the shield soldiers, causing it to slump over, gripping at the wound. A split second decision and an empty magazine caused me to grab out a frag grenade, tossing it at the stalled group. I ducked down as the weapon detonated, blasting the enemy group off their feet. I watched the bodies for a few seconds, satisfied when none of them moved. I quickly reloaded as I moved back to Fox, helping him stand up.


End file.
